Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CROSS HAMM~R TYPE PRINTER HEAD
BACKGROUND OF THE INVE~TION
l. Filed of the Inventiono
. ~ . _, . .. _ .. .. ..
This invention relates to a novel cross hammer
type printer head of ~he releasable resilient arm type in
which a coil provided in the magnetic circuit of a per-
manent magnet is energized to cancel its magnetic force
urging a resilient arm rearwardly to release it from the
magnetic force to thereby drive a printing hammer.
2. Descrl~tion of the Prior ~rt:
.
In a conventionally known printer head of the
relea~able resilient arm type, a magnetic circuit device
including a permanent magnet has at least one open end in
a yoke assembly in addition to an air gap in which a mov-
ab]e yoke is disposed. The device has a low magnetic
efficiency due to the leakage of a magnetic flux through
the open end, and requires a large magnet to produce a
strong maynetic force. The known printer head is, more-
over, composed of a large number of parts, and is difficult
to abricate and expensive to manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a
cross hammer type printer head which is composed of z smaller
number of parts and easy to manufacture.
~5 It is another object of this invention to provide
a cross hammer type dot printer which is superior in magne-
tic efficiency and can be driven at a high speed.
BRIE~ DE5CRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGURE 1 iS a Eront elevational view of a cross
hammer type dot printer embodying thi.s invention;
FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view thereof;
FIGURE 3 iS a ~ront elevational view of a plate
member having a resilient arm;
FIGURE ~ is a front elevational view of a spacer
plate; and
FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view of a movable
yoke.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings,
there i3 sho~ a magnetic circuit device which comprises
a front yoke 1, a permanent magnet 2, a rear yoke 3 and
a central yoke 4~ The front yoke 1 is substantially cir-
cular, and has a hole in its center. The permanent mag-
net 2 is annularl and secured to the rear surface of the
~ront yoke 1. The re.ar yoke 3, which is secured to the
rear surface of the permanent magnet 2, .is in the form of
a cylindrical cap, and the central yoke 4, which is columnar,
i5 secured to the bot~om of the rear yoke 3. The central
yoke 4 extends toward the central hole of the front yoke
1. A coil 5 i~ disposed in the hollow interior of the
permanent magnet 2 and the rear yoke 3, and surrounds the
central yoke 4.
A spacer plate 6, a plate member 7 and a supporting
plate 8 are secured by p.ins 9 to the front surface of the
front yoke 1. The supporting plate 8 is L-shaped in cross
-- 2 --
section, and has a reoe~s lO above which the top of the
magnetic circuit device projects. The plate member 7
has a base ll, a centrally disposed resilient arm 12
extending from th~ ~ase 11, and a pair of supporting
portions 13 extending from the base ll and between which
the resilient arm 12 is positioned. Each of the base 11
and the supporting portions 13 is provided with a hole l~
for a mounting pin 9, and the a~n 12 is also formed with
a hole 15, as shown in FIGURE 3. The spacer plate 6 mounts
the plate member 7 to the front yoke l, and has a thickness
defining a distance by which the plate member 7 is spaced
apart from the front yoke 1. The spacer plate 6 has a
base 18, and a pair of supporting portions 17 extending
from the base 18, and between which a recess 16 is defined
in a position corresponding to the arrn 12, as shown in
FIGURE 4. Each of the supporting portions 17 and the base
18 is provided with a hole 19 for a mounting pin 9. A
movable yoke 20, which is formed from magnetic material,
i5 secured in the hole 15 of the arm 12 in the plate mernber
7, as shown in FIGURES l and 2. The movable yoke 20 has
a rear end disposed in the central hole of the front yoke
1. The movable yoke 20 is, thus, magnetically attracted
by the central yoke 4, so that the arm 12 may be urged
rearwardly against its own resilient force. The movable
yoke 20 has a front end projecting forwardly through a
central opening 21 in the supportiny plate 8. The movable
yoke 20 is provided at its front end with a slit 22 as shown
in FrGURE 5, and a printing h~ner 23 in the form of a plate
has a lower end clamped in the slit 2~. The printing hammer
37~(D
23 has an upper end formed with a striking surface 24
facing a rotary drum 27A An ink ribbon 25 and a record-
ing medium 26 are disposed between the striking surface
24 and the drum 27. The rotary drum 27 has a l~ngth
whi~h is grea~er than the width of the recording medium
26. A plurality of projectivns 28 extending along the
length of the drum 27 are provided on the outer periphery
of the drum 27, and face the striking surface 24 in a way
substantially crossing it. The projections 28 are ver-
tically displaceable relative to the striking surface 24
upon rotation of the drum 27, while the strikiny surface
24 is horizontally displaceable relative to the pro~ection~
28 by the spacing of a carriage, not shown, on which the
printing head is mounted.
lS A magnetic flux created by the permanent maynet 2
passe3 through the front yoke 1, th~s rear yoke 3, the central
yoke 4 and the movable yoke 20 as shown by arrowlines in
FIGU~E 2. The movable yoke 20 i5 rnagnetically attracted
by the front surface of the central yoke 4 by overcoming
the resilient force of the arm 12. If an electric current
is applied to the coil 5 to cancel thP magnetic flux, the
movable yoke 20 is released from attraction by the central
yoke 4, and is moved forward by the spring force of the
arm 12~ The printing hammer 23 also moves forward, and its
striking surface 24 presses the ink ribbon 25 and the record-
ing medium 26 impulsively against the projections 28 on the
drum 27, whereupon a dot is printed on the recording medium
26 at a point thereof in which the striking surface 24 and
a partlcular projection 28 cross each other.
~ 4 --
3~
According t~ the printer head of this invention
as hereinabove described, the magnetic flux created by
the magnet 2 passes along a path having an angle of 360
through the front yoke 1 and the rear end of the movahle
yoke 20 and is concentrated in the central yoke 4, and
returns along a path having an angle of 360 from the
central yoke 4 to the permanent rnagne~ 2 through the rear
yoke 3. There is, thus, no appreciable leakage of the
magnetic flux. Therefore, the magnet 2 can be small,
and yet, provide a strong magnetic circuit, thereby enabl-
ing the use of a small magnetic circuit device. The mov-
able yoke 20 and the printing hammer 23 can be driven at a
high speed. I'he forward movement of the arm 12 is restricted
by the rear sur~ace of the supporting plate 8. The motion
lS of the supporking plate 8 fOL stopping the -arm 12, therefore,
proceeds from its lower to feed end portion in conjunction
with the displacement of the arm 12. Therefore, the arm
12 does not produce any striking sound when it abuts on the
supporting plate 8, nor does any excessive stress, or large
repeated stre~s act on the arm 12. The arm 12 is, thus,
reliable for fast response, and hiyhly durable. The printer
head of this invention is simple in construction, comprises
only a small number of parts, and is easy and inexpensive
to manufacture. It is a very small printer head. The
printer head shown in the drawings is twice as large as it
actually is.
